All That's Left Unsaid
by justordinaryagain
Summary: A family emergency sends Kyoko back to Kyoto at Sho's side just before Ren can admit his feelings. Once in Kyoto, Kyoko and Sho are forced to work together, and Ren contemplates moving on. Kyoko/Ren w/ Kyoko/Sho friendship WARNING: SPOILERS for CH.149
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Wrap Party

Pairing: Kyoko/Ren, with Kyoko/Sho hijinks

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Time period: Everything canon – **spoilers for Chapter 149**

Tsuruga Ren cocked his head to one side, squinting his eyes perplexedly at the sight that lay before him. Yashiro, constant companion and manager extraordinaire, stood at his side, wearing an equally baffled expression. Ren looked at Yashiro askance and then back to the room in front of him. He sucked in a breath and pursed his lips thoughtfully. "It doesn't really … seem to fit, does it?"

Yashiro tracked the slow fluttering path of an origami vampire bat as it journeyed from somewhere to his left and eventually found refuge in an unsuspecting dancer's headdress. He snorted suddenly, unable to mask his amusement as the vampire bat's glowing eyes glared ominously back at him from its perch atop the frenetic dancer. "_Ba … ka_," he finally managed in between spurts of laughter.

"Excuse me?" Ren narrowed his eyes.

Yashiro waved his hands back in forth. "Not you," he said quickly. "_Him_. The President. He must've confused the wrap parties. I mean … what _is_ this?" He gestured wildly.

"_This_" was supposed to be _Dark Moon_'s wrap party. Traditionally, wrap parties were spontaneous, yet relatively reserved affairs, often held on the very same lot that a concluded project had been filmed on. Ren admitted to himself that he should have expected, well, not _this_, but _something_ atypical, as the party and venue had been decided well in advance by none other than LME's disturbingly eccentric president, Takarada. What Takarada had been smoking when designing the wrap party was most certainly illegal in most of the world, Ren decided, as he took in the intensely dark atmosphere juxtaposed with blue neon strobe lights.

Sure, _Dark Moon_ was dark in tone, but that's where the similarities ended in regards to this particular party's theme. Certainly, the show never featured vampire bats, which Ren discovered were floating around the room haphazardly through the aid of a giant circular fan located in the center of the ceiling. The source of the origami bloodsuckers was still not apparent. And, try as he might, Ren could not remember any mention of werewolves, witches, or zombies, as he apprehensively eyed the (obviously) hired dancers currently synchronizing their movements on the dance floor to pulsing club music, costumed in various horror-centric apparel.

To Ren, it looked like Halloween threw up, and then decided to dance the _Thriller_.

He heaved an inward sigh. It was going to be one of _those_ kinds of nights …

"Look, look," Yashiro pointed over to the far right corner of the room, past the group of costumed dancers. "He's even got a smoke machine!"

Ren craned his neck, and sure enough, there was a drum-sized smoke machine, slowly leaking out its contents onto the dance floor, adding to the spooky atmosphere. He took one last look at the origami flyers, monster-squad dancers, and the oversized banner loudly proclaiming, "Congratulations Cast and Crew of _Dark Moon_!" before making a decision.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Yashiro grabbed Ren's arm before he could make a strategic exit and wiggled a reprimanding finger at him. "The star of the series is definitely not allowed to leave the wrap party without mingling for at least a little bit."

Ren blew out a breath and glared at his manager. At length, he asked, "Just how long is a little bit?"

Yashiro was saved from further reply by the appearance of their beloved, yet crazed, president, Takarada. The older man, decked out in full Dracula attire, beamed ardently at Ren and put both hands on his shoulders in greeting. "Ren! So glad you could make it! Now, tell me honestly … what do you think?" He turned and spread his arms out, smiling broadly.

Ren quickly schooled his features to reflect approval and amazement. "Impressive, very impressive, Mr. President. So … unique. I can honestly say I've never had such a strong reaction to a wrap party before."

Yashiro stifled the laughter that threatened once again and silently cursed Ren for his inhuman ability to act so well in the midst of absurdity.

President Takarada, blissfully unaware of Ren's true feelings, nodded forcefully. "That's exactly what I was hoping to hear. My ultimate goal, besides celebrating all of the hard work up until this point, was to make tonight memorable."

_Mission accomplished_, Yashiro thought, bemused.

"As you know, Director Ogata's next project is to direct the _Vampire Knight_ live-action. And it just came to me – _Dark Moon_, _Vampire Knight _…Halloween-themed wrap party!"

Ren smiled and nodded good-naturedly. "It makes a certain degree of sense. I admire your creativity." Absently, he noted that the music had lowered to a dull throb in the background.

Thankfully, President Takarada steered them towards the bar and begged off to go speak to some of the other arriving guests. Ren gratefully accepted a glass of blood-red champagne, eyed it hesitantly for a moment, and then proceeded to down it. He waved off the bartender's offer of another glass and turned to Yashiro, who sat scanning the crowd of fifty or so guests.

"It looks like Director Ogata, Momose-san, and Sawara-san are here already," Yashiro reported, smiling. "They all look just as bewildered as expected. I think Momose-san is contemplating a similar escape plan to yours, but … oh no! She's been located by President Takarada. Tough luck, Momose-san! We sympathize with you completely."

The edges of Ren's mouth quirked despite himself. "Any other potential bolters in our midst?" he asked casually.

Yashiro didn't take his eyes off of the crowd. "If you're asking if Kyoko-chan has arrived yet, then you can just come out and ask normally."

Ren heaved a sigh. "Yashiro-san, you haven't happened to notice if Mogami-san has arrived yet, have you?" he asked. Placating, with a side of smart-ass.

Yashiro smiled. "Now, was that so difficult? And, the answer is yes, I believe she has arrived. Over there."

Ren followed Yashiro's eye-line, skipping over vaguely familiar faces until his eyes came to rest on her. She was wearing a sleek, form-fitting black dress, modest, but not overly so, the hemline cut just above the knee. Her normally somewhat wild amber hair was teased into gentle silken curls that came to just below her chin. At the moment, her expression suggested that she was experiencing the same "fight or flight" sensations he had felt upon arrival as she looked around the room probingly. The neon strobe lights cast her skin in a soft blue hue, giving her an ethereal glow that enhanced her natural beauty. The effect left him breathless, and he coughed self-consciously as he felt Yashiro's keen eyes upon him.

"Something stuck in your throat?" Yashiro asked mildly, raising an eyebrow.

Ren scowled at him and resisted the urge to stick out his tongue. "The smoke machine's a little too much, I think," he replied, jerking his head in the general direction of the mist.

"Uh huh," Yashiro smirked, his eyes returning to the crowd.

Ren tracked her progress through the hall, watched as she looked around self-consciously, slowly threading through the throng of attendees. She stopped every once in a while when someone called out to her, engaged in a few moments of chitchat, smiling in that soft way of hers reserved for those she didn't claim a close acquaintance with. He supposed he should be happy that he was rarely the recipient of such a perfunctory smile, that he was not just an acquaintance to her anymore, but at the moment, he found himself wishing she could look at him in that soft way. See him as something more than just a _sempai_, co-worker, or any of the other innocuous relationships she constructed for them that remained devoid of anything more substantial than simple respect. He sighed suddenly, closing his eyes against the dull crush of the party and all of its trappings.

"You okay?" Yashiro murmured to his right, and he nodded curtly, opening his eyes.

"Just a small headache," he lied, smile straining against his teeth. "Nothing serious."

Yashiro eyed him suspiciously and looked like he was about to say something, but abruptly closed his mouth. Ren figured it must have taken an enormous amount of self-restraint on Yashiro's part to not comment on his ongoing inner turmoil, so he gratefully shot him a genuine smile and put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm going to say hello to Director Ogata. Do you want to stay here?"

Yashiro nodded, and looked at the bar solemnly. "I'm thinking it's safer to remain close to the liquid courage."

Ren chuckled good-naturedly and dropped his arm. "See you in a little while, then." He could hear Yashiro ordering a whiskey as he walked away, making his way through the crowd to where he could see Director Ogata lingering by a table. He told himself he wasn't _exactly_ avoiding Kyoko, as he carefully wound his way through the crowd, routing a wide arc around where Kyoko was conversing with Takarada. He would talk to her later, when she had fulfilled all of her obligatory niceties to the other party goers.

When he wasn't so raw from her perpetual obliviousness.

Of course, he knew he had only himself to blame. It's not like he verbally expressed to her any desire of becoming something more to her than a co-worker. And then there was the small matter of him not being sure himself of what he really wanted from her. His wants and needs were in a constant state of flux when it came to Mogami Kyoko, so much so that he was never certain just what would happen if left alone with her. Most of the time, he felt in control. Solid. Uncompromising. Nothing of consequence would happen as long as he reminded himself of all of the reasons that an attachment beyond a working relationship would be unwise – her age, their involvement in LME together, her feelings about love in general.

Her unsettling obsession with Fuwa Sho.

But every once in awhile, the pain of not saying anything to her lanced through him so profoundly that he found it difficult to breathe.

He flashed back to Valentine's Day, and the kiss he had brushed on her cheek. He had tried, in vain, to tell himself that he had only done it to help her erase Fuwa Sho's unwanted kiss from her mind, but he was well aware of the shaky ground he stood on. Her interests had barely crossed his mind when he had leaned into her. The compulsion – his need for her – had overcome him completely, and it was only with a great amount of self-restraint that he hadn't ended up kissing her for real.

He sighed again.

Oh, it was _so_ going to be one of those kinds of nights …

"Director Ogata. So nice to see you could make it," Ren greeted the soft-spoken man as he approached.

Ogata looked up at him, flashing him an abashed smile. "Nice to see you, too." He paused, blushing, as his eyes following the movements of a particularly zealous vampire dancer that was randomly running up to people and pretending to bite them. "I had no idea the President was going to go this far with the theme. This is … just too much."

Ren smiled broadly. "With President Takarada, nothing is ever 'too much.' If anything, you gave him a good excuse to do what he does best." He took a moment to locate Kyoko again, spotting her with Momose, and turned back to Ogata. "I hear congratulations are in order. _Vampire Knight_ is going to be enormously successful, especially with you at the helm."

Ogata blushed again, and looked away. "You're too kind, as always, Tsuruga-kun. I appreciate your confidence in my abilities."

"How can I not have confidence in your abilities? Without you, I'm not sure I ever would have found my Katsuki."

Ogata tilted his head and regarded him quizzically, a skeptical smile playing across his lips. "Oh, I'm not too sure about that. For one, you're an amazingly talented actor – it was only a matter of time before you discovered Katsuki. And … well, I hear Kyoko-chan had more to do with helping you find Katsuki than I did."

Ren tore his eyes away from where Kyoko and Momose were conversing and looked up at Ogata abruptly. "What?" he asked ineloquently, flustered, wondering whether his attachment to Kyoko was becoming common knowledge.

Ogata furrowed his brow. "Didn't you say Kyoko-chan helped you rehearse the night before the … _audition_?" He fumbled over the last word and nearly whispered it, as if it was almost shameful that Tsuruga Ren should have had to go through such a menial qualification.

Ren exhaled slowly, and nodded. "Yes. I suppose she was a great help." He inwardly chided himself for jumping to conclusions and smiled easily at Ogata. "But I meant what I said. You are a wonderful director, and I look forward to working with you again. If you'll have me, that is."

"There's nothing I would love more," Ogata assured.

Ren chatted with Ogata for a few more minutes as they continued to absorb the preposterousness of the night. Their conversation ultimately led to a thorough examination of the party and its mysteries. For one thing, Ren mentioned to Ogata, he still didn't know where all the origami was coming from. After careful inspection, both decided that they had to be coming from somewhere above. It wasn't until Ren had stared at the ceiling for a good while before he finally discovered the source of the origami bats – a sheer net that held what he supposed were a few thousand more of the flying menaces strategically placed in a way so the ceiling fan would lift them out of their "nest" and set them airborne sporadically. The latest to fly the coop was headed in Kyoko's direction, wafting through the room unsteadily. He watched its progress with amusement, noting that Kyoko's back was to him, and to the stealthy intruder that seemed bent on landing in her hair. She stiffened as she felt its landing, whirling around in what he assumed to be an effort to locate who had touched her hair, and he couldn't help but to laugh.

Ogata whispered to his left that he was going to speak with President Takarada, and he turned for a moment to say a quick goodbye. When he returned his gaze back to Kyoko, he was surprised to meet her eyes, looking across the dance floor at him inquisitively. She raised an eyebrow, still unaware of the bat currently residing on her head, and he couldn't stop the smile from spreading across his face if he tried. She smiled back, and together, they began a slow stroll towards each other. He could feel his heart hammering in his chest as they inched closer, and he consciously made the effort to keep his pace steady so as not to appear too eager.

"Tsuruga-san," she greeted, a little breathlessly, as she came to stand before him. She bowed slightly in that archaic, yet, alluring way of hers.

"Mogami-san," he greeted easily once she had risen to her full height. "You look beautiful tonight."

Her cheeks colored just the slightest bit. "Thank you," she murmured, looking in the direction of the floor. "You … too. I mean, you look … ah, great. Also."

He chuckled. "I appreciate that." He paused, eyes drawn to her hair once again. Slowly, he circled his arm around her head, lingering just a bit longer than absolutely necessary before plucking the unintended hair accessory from her head. Kyoko's confusion was palpable, as she stood, shock still, eyes wide and following his every movement. He smiled innocently down at her, and, at length, brought his arm back from behind her to reveal the origami bat.

This time, she blushed a deep red, and her jaw dropped in mortification. "How long was that in my hair?" she shrieked, her hand flying to the back of her head. He could see one of her moods on the horizon, so he decided to ease her apprehensions before she got too entrenched.

"Not long," he laughed, as he deftly avoided her attempt to snatch the bat away from him. "No, no. I'm keeping this one for posterity." She made another swipe at the hand holding the bat and he caught her arm, gently closing his fingers around her wrist. She froze at the contact, and he could feel the smile die on his lips as her eyes swept up to his, clouded over with some emotion he could not decipher. But then, her eyes cleared, and she looked at his hand as if she couldn't quite fathom its existence, touching her like that, and he did his best to stave off the brief moment of letdown that followed her obvious discomfort. Resigned, he let go.

_That's it, Ren,_ he silently instructed. _Just let go._

"Kyoko-chan?" Yashiro greeted amiably, fluidly inserting himself between them. "It's been a long time. How have you been?"

Kyoko tore her eyes away from Ren and focused on Yashiro, seemingly grateful for the interruption. "Yashiro-san! So good to see you!"

Ren allowed Yashiro to direct the conversation, shuffling a few feet back as he reined in his emotions. The brief flicker of anger was familiar and potent – a ghost of himself rekindled, demanding acknowledgement. And, despite his best efforts to completely extinguish the last vestiges of Kuon, the anger refused to dissipate. It surged beneath his skin, always churning, ready to seize control when he was at his most vulnerable. He didn't even know what he was angry at. It wasn't as if Kyoko could be blamed for not understanding his feelings – hell, he wasn't even sure if he wanted her to know. Everything was so muddled, and the steady simplicity of the Tsuruga Ren persona was no longer an easy role to portray.

Ren closed his eyes and blew out a breath.

"Ren? Headache again?" Yashiro narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

Kyoko's prior discomfort seemed to melt in the wake of Ren's fictitious illness. She scrunched up her eyes in a completely adorable way and smoothly flattened her palm against his forehead. Her hand was cool and dry, and he inadvertently leaned into her touch a little. "Not too warm," she murmured, slowly removing her hand. "Maybe it's just the noise in here?" she mused.

"Probably," Ren acquiesced, preferring the false concession to the blatant truth. He smiled down at her warmly. "Thank you for your concern. I'm sure it's nothing."

Kyoko's smile was shy, and she looked up at him through lowered lashes. She opened her mouth as if to say something, and Ren raised an eyebrow in expectation, but the shrill screech of a microphone interrupted, and then President Takarada was up on the stage, speaking rapidly.

Sometimes, he absolutely hated that man.

Yashiro elbowed him in the ribs as they turned their heads in President Takarada's direction.

Ren scowled back at him. "What was that for?" he whispered harshly, careful to stay out of Kyoko's earshot.

Yashiro's smile stretched wide. "You know," he began quietly, glancing around surreptitiously. Once he was satisfied no one would be eavesdropping on their conversation, he continued in low tones. "You're not as covert as you think. More like, blatantly transparent. You know Fuzaki-san, from _Bubka_ magazine?" Ren nodded absently. "He had you pegged as lovers."

Ren started, and looked at Yashiro. "What?"

Yashiro stared at him witheringly. "You and Kyoko-chan," he enunciated very slowly. "In fact, I'm willing to bet that's what _everyone_ here thinks. I mean, honestly. Outright flirting in the middle of a wrap party?" He shook his head in mock solemnity.

Ren snorted derisively. "We weren't … _flirting_."

Yashiro rolled his eyes. "Sure, sure. That was just strictly professional camaraderie. Because you play around with all of your co-stars." Yashiro paused for a moment, appearing to search for the right words. "You understand I _am_ your manager, and it's my job to deal with the press and have all the right answers. Up until now, I haven't had much to manage – you've basically bored them to death. But now …" he sighed forcefully. "Honestly, I don't know if Fuzaki-san bought the whole _sempai/kouhai_ thing."

Ren stared at him steadily. "It's not a _thing_, as you call it. It's how Mogami-san feels."

Yashiro returned his gaze and nodded slowly. "I know. But the fact of the matter is people are asking questions. No, that's not right. They _were_ asking questions. _Now_, they're making observations."

"What would you suggest I do?" Ren asked irritably, eyes on Kyoko as she focused on the President's speech. "Avoidance? I don't think I need to remind you that _you_ arrange my schedule. It seems to me you've been going out of your way for quite some time in order to increase the number of times Mogami-san and I run into each other every day."

Yashiro furrowed his brow. "Why would I suggest avoidance? I'm just asking what you would like me to say."

Ren shrugged. "Tell them what you always tell them."

"'I can't confirm or deny those rumors,' only works for so long, and you know it. Sooner or later, he's going to do some research. And if he doesn't find anything solid, he'll just make stuff up. You need to decide what you're going to do about Kyoko-chan. And soon. Otherwise, I can't promise it won't hurt your career. As well as Kyoko-chan's."

Ren gazed at Yashiro contemplatively, the weight of his words resounding in his head. He had to admit to himself that Yashiro had a point – many careers had been damaged in the wake of Fuzaki-san's overenthusiastic rumor mill. Anything but total disclosure often left the man up to his own devices, rewriting innocent relationships as tawdry indiscretions. An actor of his caliber would survive such insinuations – plus, it didn't hurt that he was a male – but for someone like Kyoko, just starting out in the industry…

"You're absolutely right, Yashiro," he admitted quietly. He blew out a breath. "Perhaps it's time you start to rework my schedule."

Yashiro raised an eyebrow. "So that's your decision? You're just going to … give up?"

Ren smiled ruefully. "I don't know what I'm going to do. At any given moment. That's the honest truth. But I do know _Bubka_ will stop asking questions if there is nothing to see." Yashiro pouted unhappily, and shook his head. "And here I was hoping an ultimatum of sorts would spur you to do something. The longer I manage you, the more I realize how little I understand you." He sighed melodramatically and looked in the direction of the bar. "I'm going to get another drink. Do you -?"

"I'd better not." Ren turned his attention to the President, who was apparently still nattering on about the success of the production, and probably only about half-way through his acknowledgments. He could feel Yashiro's eyes on him, but he didn't turn, and eventually, Yashiro left him.

Kyoko seemed transfixed by the President's speech, he noticed, as he glanced at her surreptitiously from a few feet away. It was only when the path of one of the blue beams of light hit her square in the face that he could see that all was not right. There was a decidedly dewy shine to her eyes that hadn't been there before. He narrowed his eyes and moved to stand by her side. "What's the matter, Mogami-san?" he asked quietly, careful to keep his eyes facing the President.

She twitched a bit at his sudden comment. "It's just … well, it's over, isn't it?"

Ren's eyes widened marginally. "What is?" he asked slowly.

She looked at him then, eyes bright from her tears. "_Dark Moon_. My first drama. I thought I would be okay tonight, but now, the President is saying all these … things, and I can't stop crying, for some reason." She wiped at her eyes carefully with a fingertip.

"Everyone gets sentimental when a project is over," he remarked mildly. "But it's not really the end. This industry is extremely small, and very close-knit. You'll see everyone in some project or another at some point. Trust me."

Kyoko sniffed a little. "You think so?"

"Absolutely."

She hesitated, turning her eyes back to the President. "Even you?" she said so quietly he almost wasn't sure he had heard her correctly.

Ren opened his mouth and then closed it. "Of course," he finally said. "Why would you even ask that?"

Kyoko shrugged, but said nothing. He found himself wondering if she had overheard his conversation with Yashiro, but quickly decided that was impossible. Kyoko was nothing if not serially accommodating, and if she perceived herself to be a hindrance to him for even a second, he knew she would be the first one to suggest separation. While her question seemed odd, the simple fact that she remained close to him confirmed she knew nothing of Fuzaki-san or _Bubka_ magazine.

"And now, a final treat for our cast and crew of _Dark Moon_," President Takarada boomed into the microphone. Ren turned his attention to the giant white screen that was slowly being lowered from a rafter in the ceiling. It stopped about 10 feet from the ground behind the President.

"Most of you were unaware of the side project I tasked the editors with during the shooting of _Dark Moon_," the President continued. "It was an extensive process, ranging from the first day of shooting up until the very last. But I think I can safely say that all of their hard work was not in vain, as the end result is simply spectacular."

He paused emphatically, and stared out at the crowd, a small smile on his lips. "Ladies and Gentlemen, without further ado, I present you with _Dark Moon: the Gag Reel_."

A mixture of groans and laughter resonated throughout the crowd. Ren sighed tragically and smiled at Kyoko. "I guess it can't be helped. The President always takes great pleasure at humiliating his stars with their missteps."

Kyoko returned the smile, and he was relieved to see all trace of her tears gone. "Why do I have the feeling that the head-first trip Mio took down the stairs during the eighth episode is going to be on this reel?"

The lights dimmed before Ren could respond, and together they were pitched in darkness.

Tbc…

A/N - I know, it ends a bit abruptly. This chapter was originally twice as long, but I decided that was just torture, so the other half will now be Chapter 2.

Chapter 2 should be up in the next few days. Let me know what you think


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2: The Rain**_

_Pairing: Kyoko/Ren, with Kyoko/Sho hijinks_

_Disclaimer: I own nothing._

_Time period: Everything canon – __**spoilers for Chapter 149**_

Once the initial embarrassment wore off, Kyoko found herself genuinely enjoying herself. (Even if she hadn't found it absolutely necessary to showcase her fall down the stairs five times in a row in both slow-mo and super slow-mo, enabling the camera to catch every variation of expression as she fell. The result was both hilarious and mortifying.) Despite that, the editors of the gag reel really had done a great job, she decided, as she watched a season full of their blunders unfold, humiliation by humiliation. She was laughing so hard she was practically in tears as the section on wardrobe malfunctions concluded with Matsuura Seiji, who played a student interested in Mizuki, and his infamous pants-splitting incident. Her tumble down the stairs seemed downright graceful in comparison, as she watched him shuffle off the screen, holding his pants together with his hand.

The highlight of the reel had to belong to Momose, though. Kyoko had been in the dressing room the day it had happened, and she had returned to find the cast and crew involved in the scene engaged in a fit of raucous laughter as Momose sat awkwardly on the ground clothed in only a skirt and a camisole, looking as if she'd rather be anywhere but there. Kyoko remembered thinking that it was extremely unprofessional of them to laugh when Momose had to perform in such a skimpy wardrobe – the scene had been the one where Mizuki was changing for a party. One of the cameramen had looked at Kyoko somewhat desperately and managed to spurt out what sounded like "_Hachi_ i!" before laughter overtook him once again. "_Hachi_?" Kyoko had repeated slowly, wondering how "eight" could possibly even begin to explain the pandemonium currently underway. But then, Kyoko had been called back to wardrobe, and by the time she had returned, everyone had apparently calmed down enough to continue filming. Kyoko had dutifully completed her scenes, and by the end of the evening, she had forgotten about the strange incident all together.

Now, Kyoko was able to see the events prior to her arrival. The scene began with Mizuki rummaging through her closet in search of something acceptable to wear to a Hongo family party while Misao offered snide comments from her perch on Mizuki's bed. Momose had her hand on the aqua dress Kyoko knew Mizuki was supposed to retrieve from the closet when she suddenly froze and looked down at her chest. And then she was shrieking, jumping up and down like a three-year-old throwing a temper tantrum. Her face turned bright red as she ran in panicked circles around the stage, beating at her chest as she screamed, "Bee! _Bee_! _BEEEE_!" Oohara, wanting no part of _that_, immediately bolted from the stage, shrieking wildly as Momose tried desperately to remove the bee from her camisole. The scene careened violently as Oohara, in her haste to be as far from the bee as possible, stumbled into the camera, knocking it onto its side on the ground. Then, all that could be seen were Momose's feet, running around rampantly on the right side of the screen, _Spiderman_-style.

It was total chaos. The entire audience was laughing uproariously as Momose's shrieking continued on unflaggingly in the background. And then the cameraman was struggling with the camera, attempting to right it as Momose sank to her knees, peering at something small on the ground. She quickly located a shoe from her left and, like a woman possessed, proceeded to violently whack at the object in front of her, yelling, "Die! Die! _DIE_!" But Momose's aim was disturbingly inaccurate considering the close distance, and eventually, the bee, completely unscathed, wiggled around a little bit and took off. The camera followed it as it buzzed over towards an open window and disappeared into the sunlight.

The last image of the reel was Momose, despondently looking after where the bee had escaped. And then, the camera caught the moment when it suddenly clicked in Momose's mind that the entire scene had been recorded. She opened her mouth a few times and finally managed to spurt out desperately, "That better not go on the gag reel!"

The cast and crew on the video and the audience erupted into simultaneous laughter, and Kyoko could see Momose ducking her head in embarrassment from her position over by the bar. Oohara threw an arm around her shoulder and squeezed, winking at her as she did so, and Momose managed a bashful smile as she felt the eyes of the audience turn to her. "It was trying to molest me!" she shouted out defensively, which only served to make the laughter louder.

The lights snapped back on shortly after, and the audience immediately broke out into thunderous applause interspersed with the occasional whistle. Takarada took the stage once again and leaned into the mike, gesturing animatedly to Momose. "Itsume-kun," he crooned teasingly over the noise of the crowd. "I think you'd better get up here and take a bow." There was much back and forth between the two of them with Momose shaking her head emphatically and Takarada crooking a finger demandingly at her. At long last, Momose relented and trudged her way up to the stage. Takarada grinned as she stepped beside him. He raised an eyebrow at her, and Momose muttered something the microphone didn't catch as she bowed quickly to the crowd. Kyoko had to cover her ears as the deafening roar of the crowd rose to astronomical levels, grinning maniacally through it all.

"Let's get both our stars up here." Takarada waved an arm at Ren. Kyoko watched as Ren, ever the consummate professional, dutifully obliged, strolling casually up to the stage in that self-assured way of his that never failed to secure her admiration. Even after months in front of a camera, she still hadn't mastered the whole "being comfortable in front of a crowd" thing that Ren seemed innately adept at.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I believe it goes without saying that without the marvelous performances brought about by these two, _Dark Moon_ would never have surpassed _Tsukigomori_'s all-time record ratings." He paused as the crowd enthusiastically agreed. He looked from Ren to Momose as he turned to address the two of them. "In light of the fact that your tenure as television's most popular couple has come to a close, there is still one last task for you to fulfill." He nodded his head at the DJ, and the DJ pressed a few buttons.

_Dark Moon_'s sweeping melancholy theme music filled the room, and both Ren and Momose smiled at each other knowingly. Ren gallantly offered his hand, and Momose took it easily as they descended the stairs and made their way to the dance floor. Momose put her left hand on Ren's shoulder; he circled his right hand around her waist. And then they slowly began to move together.

Kyoko stared at them wistfully. The two of them really _would_ make a good couple. Momose's delicate looks complimented Ren's more striking features, making them a ridiculously beautiful physical match, and both were on relatively equal footing in terms of their professional careers. (Of course, to Kyoko, Ren was in a class all of his own, but she supposed Momose was successful enough to at least stand up with him.)

Their bodies were in perfect tune with one another as they swayed gracefully around the dance floor. She watched Momose laugh gently at something Ren whispered in her ear, and a dull ache began to knot in her chest.

"Kyoko-chan?"

She jumped at Yashiro's voice. "_H-hai_?" she managed to squeak out spastically. She inwardly cringed.

Yashiro smiled at her unconcernedly. "Care to?" He held out his hand.

Kyoko stared at his outstretched hand as if it were a sea slug.

Yashiro remained nonplussed. "Come on, it'll be fun," he prodded. "Besides, everyone else is doing it."

Kyoko's eyes swung back towards the dance floor where she discovered that there were, indeed, other couples joining Ren and Momose. She took a moment to wonder at her obliviousness before turning back to Yashiro.

"I haven't danced in years," she warned ominously as she hesitantly took his hand.

"I'll take my chances," Yashiro assured easily, leading her on to the dance floor. There was an awkward moment while they figured out where to put their hands, and then they were off.

"You don't give yourself enough credit," Yashiro said after they had been dancing for a few moments. "You're good at this, Kyoko-chan."

Kyoko smiled uncertainly. "Really? Because right now, I feel like I'm about to fall flat on my face."

"Just relax." Yashiro spun her around a little, and then spun her again for good measure.

She giggled, head buzzing happily. "No more spinning!" she begged, laughing earnestly. "I'm going to topple over, and then you'll be really sorry!"

"Okay, okay," Yashiro chuckled. "I _suppose_ I should refrain from anything that might result in toppling. Even if it would be entertaining." He grinned at her.

Kyoko smiled in return and concentrated on not stepping on Yashiro's toes. For all his compliments, it was apparent to Kyoko that Yashiro was the truly gifted dancer. He led her easily, confidently moving her around the floor without being too overbearing. He let her adjust to the rhythm on her own, and it wasn't long before she felt completely capable of keeping up her end of the dancing.

She caught sight of Ren and Momose over Yashiro's shoulder when they swayed past the bar. She must have reacted somehow, because then, Yashiro was following her line of vision. He regarded her pensively for a moment. "They look good together, don't they?" he asked at length.

Kyoko idly wondered if Yashiro had acquired mind-reading abilities. She sighed, and smiled faintly. "That, they do."

Yashiro nodded, eyes still trained on her. "But … I don't think that _that_ particular _Dark Moon_ pairing will ever come to pass." He paused. "She's not really Ren's type," he clarified.

Kyoko felt an inexplicable wave of relief that she chose not to examine too closely. "What _is_ his type?" she blurted out. And then promptly regretted it. Her cheeks burned as she considered the implications of her question.

Yashiro was looking at her with an expression she couldn't quite decipher, an odd smile on his lips. "Can't really say," he said finally, looking back at Ren. "He hasn't been in a serious relationship in quite some time."

"I shouldn't have asked," Kyoko muttered. "_Sumimasen_ … it's none of my business."

Yashiro shrugged. "I don't know about that. You two _are_ friends, aren't you? It's perfectly natural for you to be curious about your friend's likes and dislikes."

"Friends?" Kyoko parroted distractedly, and then the music shifted in the background, temporarily bringing them to a halt. _Dark Moon_'s somber theme continued to fade out gradually as another song weaved its way through the speakers. She vaguely recognized the bittersweet melody as an American song she had heard a time or two in the karaoke bars, and Yashiro started them out slowly. She adjusted to the slower tempo of the song, and found herself translating the sorrowful lyrics in her head. _Because I can't make you love me if you don't_, the woman crooned, and Kyoko found herself oddly affected by the words. Her mind drifted to thoughts of Sho, and how devastated she had been when she had realized she was the only one in love. She sighed softly.

Kyoko knew she was no longer in love with him, but suddenly, she was feeling the grief of that loss all over again. And, unwittingly, she found herself seeking Ren out. She spotted him after a few moments, still dancing with Momose. Momose's head was currently leaning on his chest, and her eyes were closed tightly. And Ren was …

Well … Ren was looking straight at Kyoko.

Their eyes locked instantly, intensely, and then she felt a familiar heat rush to her face. She silently cursed his ability to reduce her to a gooey puddle with just one look.

Lately, that had been happening a lot.

She didn't know what was happening to her. She'd never been exactly comfortable around Ren, but this immediate, what she could only define as "girly," reaction to him was a bit unsettling. It was as if her hormones were in a perpetual state of overdrive, with no sign of stopping. And even though she knew that most females believed there to be no escape from "The Tsuruga Effect," she had proudly claimed for the better part of a year that his presence had had no effect on her at all.

Except for that one time, when she was playing Mizuki. But they had been in character, and that could hardly count.

Either way, she was aware things were completely different now.

Logically, she knew the kiss on her cheek didn't mean anything more than a gesture of thanks from her _sempai_. They had talked about it. At length. In great detail. But she was unable to convince her body of this obvious fact, as it reacted of its own accord whenever he was in the room. Suddenly, looks from him were _looks_, and her immunity vanished so swiftly that she was left wondering if she had ever had any to begin with.

Kyoko tried to remind herself that it wasn't exactly his fault – after all, he couldn't help that he was born this beautiful, and he certainly had no intention of eliciting this kind of reaction from her, of all people. But sometimes, an errant thought would weave its way through and leave her wondering if there wasn't the tiniest of possibilities that he knew exactly how he affected her. She usually dismissed this thought almost as quickly as it formed, but she wasn't entirely oblivious to the growing number of moments between them that were becoming more and more difficult to write off as purely innocent. Looks that lasted a fraction too long, light touches that raised the hairs on her arms, eyes that conveyed the weight of things left unsaid …

Like the look he was giving her now. It was one of his more complicated expressions; she couldn't quite make it out. It felt a little sad to her, as he gazed at her unsmilingly. But then, Momose was saying something to him, and his eyes snapped back to his dancing partner. Kyoko felt the disconnect like a physical blow, and she frowned a little.

"Kyoko-chan? Are you okay?" Yashiro was looking at her with concern, and shamefully, she realized that she had been ignoring him for … well, she wasn't quite sure how long it had been.

"Everything's fine," she assured him softly. "I was just … enjoying the music."

Yashiro looked at her skeptically, but didn't say anything after that. She blew out a breath in relief, waited until the song ended, and then politely excused herself to go use the facilities.

***

"This is ridiculous," Kyoko scolded herself as she stared into the bathroom mirror. "Completely ridiculous."

She had spent the better part of an hour hiding out in the bathroom, internally assessing the predicament she found herself thoroughly a part of. The moment on the dance floor had left her more shaken than it should have, and she was forced to admit that her attraction to Ren was becoming a bit of a problem. Especially for someone who had no interest in falling in love, which she was still relatively certain she was capable of avoiding. But, even more so than wanting to avoid the big L word, she genuinely wanted to maintain the relationship she had with Ren before the damn kiss, before everything got turned so upside down. After all, it was pretty hard to learn anything substantial from someone if all you can do is drool on them the moment they enter a room. And, even though she didn't completely understand Ren's feelings for her – especially since all of her impressions of him were colored by the deeply annoying attraction she now felt towards him – she was pretty sure he wouldn't appreciate the whole drool thing.

She sighed. There was no denying that keeping her hormones at bay was going to be difficult. She wondered if she was just going to have to avoid him completely for a time. A sharp pain to her chest accompanied that particular thought, and she closed her eyes. Crap. This was worse than she had originally thought.

Kyoko took a deep breath and tried to think of what one of her characters would do in this situation. Mio … well, Mio was … No. She couldn't even imagine Mio feeling anything remotely like attraction. _Ever_. And Natsu … Well, Natsu would probably jump Ren and be done with it. That certainly wasn't an option. She shook her head in frustration.

Either way, she knew nothing would be solved by staying in the bathroom all night. That just made her look … weird. _Weirder_, she amended. And she owed it to herself and the rest of the people who had made her first drama such a great experience to at least say goodbye.

She took one last look at herself in the mirror, tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear, and strode purposefully towards the door.

***

"I was about to send for the cavalry," Yashiro said, looking up from his conversation with Ren as Kyoko approached them. "You missed all the speeches." He leaned in conspiratorially. "Director Ogata cried. It wasn't pretty."

Kyoko deftly avoided eye-contact with Ren as she smiled brightly at Yashiro. "_Gomen-nasai_! I got caught up talking with Moko-san. She called while I was in the bathroom."

Ren arched an eyebrow at her. "You get signal in there?"

Kyoko shrugged noncommittally.

It wasn't exactly an answer, but he seemed to accept it just the same, as he nodded thoughtfully, and then turned to Yashiro. "Has our friend left for the evening?" he asked quietly.

Yashiro's eyes drifted to Kyoko and then back to Ren. "About 10 minutes ago," he said slowly.

"Good." Ren turned back to Kyoko, and smiled at her warmly. "I'm going to circulate a little. Care to join me?"

Kyoko smiled in return and nodded. She had ultimately decided that the best course of action in regard to her little problem was to confront it head on. She figured the more time she spent with Ren, the more she would be able to gain some sense of control over herself. After all, if Ren's co-stars could eventually learn to tune out "The Tsuruga Effect," then she was determined to do the same.

They made the rest of the rounds around the party together, chatting agreeably with all the co-stars and crew they hadn't had a chance to speak with before. Kyoko learned that Oohara-san was already attached to do a drama with one of the minor male characters on _Dark Moon_. At that, she caught Ren's eye, and he raised an eyebrow as if to say, "_See_?" She smiled at him happily before turning back to Oohara-san to congratulate her. Then it was on to Momose-san, who was not without a few tears at the prospect of saying goodbye. And then there was Suzuki Hideki (one of the grips), Director Ogata, Ueda Toshio (the music coordinator), President Takarada, and so on and so on …

When all was said and done, Kyoko felt like she had run the 50K. Her feet pinched in more places than one, and she had stopped trying to actively stifle her yawning for a good while. She glanced at her watch, and her eyes widened at the hour.

"Tired?" Ren asked quietly.

She nodded. "I guess I should go try to get a cab."

Ren shook his head. "Don't you remember? Toshio-san was just saying that there's an hour wait for the cabs on account of the rain." He paused. "Why don't you let me take you home? I was going to leave soon anyway."

At the moment, Kyoko was too spent to examine all of the reasons for not taking Ren up on his offer. "If you're sure it's not too much trouble …"

"No trouble at all. Just let me get Yashiro."

***

The steady pitter-patter of the rain on Ren's windshield coupled with her genuine exhaustion lulled Kyoko to sleep almost as soon as they had left the party – she didn't even wake when Ren dropped Yashiro off at his place. So, it was while in the clutches of a particularly cracktastic dream that she gradually became aware of something gently nudging her left shoulder. Her eyes drifted open slowly and then closed again as she wavered on the edge of sleep. She wondered idly why the chickens in her dream continued to revolt despite all of her promises of free manicures – it was, after all, a great deal – before she felt the nudging again, this time accompanied by a softly spoken, "Mogami-san." She swatted at the source blindly and murmured sluggishly, "Just five more minutes."

"Kyoko-chan."

It wasn't said particularly loudly, but her eyes snapped open nonetheless. She couldn't have heard _that_ right.

For a moment, she had difficulty remembering what she was doing, exactly, in a car, as she stared confusedly at a door handle. But the plopping of the rain on the windshield and the sight of the Daruyama out her window was an instant reminder. _Right_. No taxis. Ren. Driving her home.

She turned to apologize for falling asleep in his car only to find the words stick in her throat. He was close, his face only inches from hers, and his hand still rested on her shoulder. His eyes widened a little, and then darkened. And now her heart was in her throat, hammering rapidly. She let out a shaky breath slowly, praying that he didn't notice what his proximity did to her.

"Tsuruga-san?" she managed to squeak out.

Ren blinked slowly, and his eyes seemed to clear as he dropped his hand from her shoulder. "You fell asleep," he stated unnecessarily, and Kyoko wondered if she was only imagining the husky timbre in his voice.

"Uhh, yeah, I guess I did. Sorry about that." She bent to root around the floor of the car for her purse, the compulsion to flee of the utmost concern. "Thank you so much for the ride home," she blurted out quickly. "I won't keep you any longer." She located her purse wedged between the bottom of the seat and the door.

"You were dancing with Yashiro," Ren said suddenly, and something in his tone made her hand freeze on the door handle.

Kyoko blinked at him, confused, but he was looking straight in front of him. "I think Yashiro-san felt a little sorry for me," she said after a few moments. "He probably thought I felt left out. Or something."

Ren didn't say anything, apparently deep in thought. She was just about to pull the handle of the door, figuring the strange conversation to be over, when he sighed.

"I would have danced with you." And then his eyes were on hers, and she couldn't breathe. She held his gaze as he stared at her searchingly, and she didn't know what was happening anymore. Didn't know what he wanted from her. He blew out a breath, and smiled a little sheepishly. "I wanted to, in fact. Dance with you."

Kyoko felt the beginnings of a panic attack begin to take hold as she watched his hand lift towards her face. There was a sharp intake of breath as it stalled for a moment, and then his thumb was tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. She was drowning in the depth of his gaze, and she could only watch as his expression became pained. "Kyoko …I-"

Whatever he was about to say dissolved in the bright lights of the oncoming car. As one, they turned to blink at the unwelcome intruder as it pulled to the side of the street just ahead of them. Kyoko furrowed her brow as a blond figure bolted from the back seat of the car and dashed across the street towards the entrance of the Daruyama. A very familiar blond figure.

"What the?" Kyoko was out the door in a flash. "Sho?!" she yelled as she shut the door to Ren's car.

Sho skittered to a halt and whipped around to face her. His hair was already plastered to his forehead as the rain continued to pelt down around them. He looked absolutely wretched, and for a moment, Kyoko felt a modicum of sympathy for him.

Until she remembered the particulars of their last encounter. She balled her hands into fists and grit her teeth, the memory of him stealing her first kiss surging angrily within her.

"What are you doing here?" she snapped icily once he had reached her.

"Kyoko," Sho said softly, bowing his head, and it was then that she could see something was very wrong. Ren got out of the car and walked over to stand at her side, and she sent him a dumbfounded look.

Sho spared Ren a glance, but he was apparently in no mood to engage, as he looked down at Kyoko imploringly. "Your phone went straight to voice mail, so I had Shoko pull your address from our agency file." He paused, and now Kyoko could see that the wetness on his face wasn't all due to the rain.

"Sho … what's happened?" she asked with an edge of concern.

Sho shook his head disbelievingly. "It's Dad." He blew out a breath, and then looked back at her. "He had a heart attack."

Kyoko gasped softly. "Is he … okay?"

Sho shook his head and opened his mouth. "I don't … he didn't … he's at the hospital. That's all I know." His voice broke, and then he was covering his face with his hands, shoulders heaving violently as he sobbed openly.

Something tugged in Kyoko, and she could feel the wall she had built up between them begin to crumble. In all of her years of knowing Sho, she had never seen him like this. The invisible fist around her heart unclenched, and she found herself putting her hand on his arm. He looked at her, eyes red and desperate. "Please, Kyoko. _Please_. Don't make me go back there alone."

His plea hung in the air between them, and Kyoko stared at the boy she had both loved and hated for so long with something akin to tenderness before making a decision. Slowly, she turned to Ren, who was staring at her hand on Sho's arm contemplatively. He met her gaze when he felt her eyes on him, and at length, he nodded in understanding.

When she felt the tenuous bond between them break, she almost shattered herself.

"You're going with him," he stated unnecessarily, and she nodded.

"I have to," she said quietly. "The Fuwas practically raised me. It wouldn't be right if I didn't go."

He smiled tartly. "But you're not going for _them_, are you?"

His words were like a punch to the gut, and she found she couldn't respond.

Ren looked up at the night sky, closed his eyes against the rain, and laughed bitterly.

She looked away, and braced herself for the inevitable backlash. After all, she had brought Ren into her sick little game of revenge. Had convinced him of her utter hatred for Sho. And here she was, running off to be with Sho the moment he needed her.

_But, it's different_, part of her whispered.

_No, it's not_, another part viciously whispered back.

"I know you must think that I'm a complete hypocrite," she began, but Ren waved a silencing hand at her.

When his gaze returned, it was devoid of the bitter emotions he had flashed earlier. What remained was an impassive civility, and her heart ached, empty as the eyes that stared back at her. "Mogami-san," he was saying, and she closed her eyes against the tears that threatened to spill over. "I have no business interfering in your personal affairs. I apologize." He turned to Sho, and nodded curtly at him. "I'm sorry to hear about your father. I hope everything turns out okay."

All Sho could manage was a nod of his own, as he distractedly wiped at his eyes.

"_Oyasumi nasai_," Ren whispered to her, almost as an afterthought, as he made his way back to his car.

Kyoko watched the Porsche until it disappeared around the corner, its red taillights blurring in the rain-soaked air. Her breath hitched in her throat, and she choked on it.

"_Oyasumi_," she echoed softly.

_TBC … _

_**A/N: So … yeah. I guess that was a long few days. My computer decided to eat itself for Christmas. I lost … everything. I knew there was a reason to continue writing long-hand instead of directly on the computer. **__** Anyways, I tried to write this chapter from memory, but for whatever reason, it was much more slow-going this time around. So sorry for the wait!**_

_**A few questions:**_

_**Does anyone know if the Fuwas were ever given any first names? Also, how would Kyoko address the Fuwas? And, does anyone know exactly how long Kyoko lived with them? **_

_**Oh, and for those interested, the song Kyoko and Yashiro danced to was "I Can't Make You Love Me" by Bonnie Raitt. It's an oldie (well, relatively), but a goodie. **_

_**Thanks so much for reading! **__** And Happy Holidays to everyone!**_

i The Japanese word "hachi" has many definitions, including "eight" and "bee."


End file.
